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Shuffle an Impulse

THE BOOK: Shuffle an Impulse

PUBLISHED IN: 2015

AUTHOR: William (Bill) Delorey

EDITORS: J Lacy Coughlan and Susan Carr

PUBLISHER: WordWizard Publications – Green Cove Springs, Florida

SUMMARY: A world-class athlete confronts the Mind Games!

This gritty and fascinating journey follows the struggles of a world-class athlete resisting the brain chemistry dysfunction that provokes violent behavior. He fights for control of his mind while he trains relentlessly in pursuit of Olympic Gold.

Sonny Bones awakens each morning locked in battle – good on one side, evil on the other. An imaginary voice screams in his brain while his tortured mind struggles with ethical and moral choices only he can make. “Kill a friend,” it whispers, “and we’ll release you from all this pain.”

Unable to dilute the hormone invasion that triggers rage in his mind, his life spirals downward and out of control. Homelessness, drug abuse, jail cells and treatment centers punctuate his journey. With help from a quirky Russian psychiatrist and her unique high-tech treatment plan, Sonny defies the maddening impulse to execute his friends, and never once loses sight of his goal. An extraordinary tale, illustrating one young athlete’s dedication and perseverance, and his will to win.

BACK STORY: Several wartime veterans, myself included, developed and founded a program that worked with the VA clinic in Los Angeles for several years, counseling combat veterans with violent mental and social rehabilitation issues. I’ve also experienced the tragedy of mental disorders in family members and friends as well.

Years later, my companion and I took off across the United States on a camping trip to write about and photograph our national parks and wilderness areas for a nature travel book. While sitting by the campfire one night, I decided to write a short story about violence, and the way a brain controls its chemical and behavioral triggers.

At that time, we were camping in the southeast near the Great Smoky Mountains, and I figured three or four thousand words would tell the story nicely. It didn’t come close. The word count rose every time I opened the laptop as our journey continued cross-country and through more states and in more campgrounds than I can remember. The first draft of a one hundred thousand word novel “Shuffle on Impulse” emerged somewhere in Vermont almost a year later. I simply could not stop writing.:)

WHY THIS TITLE: The title fits the story – Mental impulses control our behavior, and a dysfunctional brain shuffles those impulses into more random physical actions over which our minds have less control.

WHY SHOULD SOMEONE READ IT? Readers grow to love the character, Sonny Bones, his naivety, his struggles and revelations, his sense of self, and his sense of humor in the face of tragedy. And, anyone who has a family member or a friend touched by mental illness in this country will better understand the torture of brain dysfunction, and an individual’s ability to adapt and enjoy life and pursue goals regardless. It also illustrates how one can better assist those individuals to cope in a society that often scorns ‘real folks’ born with an imperfect brain, folks that often lack social skills due to brain biology.

REVIEWS:

“Incarcerated within a high security facility, Walter Ferguson serves out four life terms for murders he committed protecting himself from imaginary demons. Miles distant, a young Olympic contender sprints ever faster along a forest trail in a fruitless attempt to still the malicious voices in his head. A riveting, eye-opening journey through the devastation wrought by delusional minds that grabs you by the seat of your pants and never lets go!!” J. Lacy Coughlan, Author-Editor

“A heart-rending and compelling story of a promising athlete besieged with mental anguish. An imaginary but demanding demonic voice thrives in his mind. Sonny spirals downward into violence, drug abuse and treatment centers. William Delorey paints a poignant picture of a life filled with confusion and delusions that leaves you an intimate connection with a young man and his struggles.” – Susan W. Carr, Librarian

AUTHOR PROFILE: Born in Massachusetts, Bill grew up in California, served in the US Navy on Hawaii and in the Far East, then settled in the Sierra foothills gold rush country. He returned to Cape Cod in 1992, where he lived until relocating to Florida in 2010.

Bill holds a Bachelors degree in behavior from UCLA and a Masters degree in writing from UMass-Dartmouth. He’s worked as a freelance photo-journalist and editor since 1990. He’s published primarily sports, wildlife behavior and protection, nature articles, and images locally, regionally and nationally. He’s also edited numerous books and journals in the natural history and science disciplines.

He recently turned his writing efforts to fiction, and has one short fiction collection, “Predators: a six-pack of short fiction” 2015, a novel titled “Shuffle an Impulse” – a psyche thriller 2015, a second novel titled “Operation Crossbow” – a military/espionage thriller 2015, a third novel titled “A Hobo’s Revenge” – a financial thriller due 2016, a fourth novel titled “Paper Cuts” – a medical fraud thriller due 2016.

Throughout his professional life, Bill remains an advocate for wildlife and wilderness conservation and protection. He also supports veteran’s issues and mental health reform.

AUTHOR COMMENTS: As fiction writers, we exercise the purest form of creativity in our artistic works. The expression of our imagination gives birth to characters that live and breathe in worlds we invent. We then can only hope our readers find as much enjoyment and delight in our presentations as we do in bringing our stories to life.

SAMPLE CHAPTER: E-book available at Amazon-Print version due release Dec 1st …